Daniel needed to change his job, but didn’t want to leave his company. The solution? Retraining, through a vocational course backed by the ESF.
For years, Daniel worked night shifts for his company in northern Belgium, which produces PVC products for the building industry. The strain of being awake all night eventually began to tell and following his doctor’s advice, Daniel asked his employers if he could switch to a daytime shift. They were happy to accommodate him, but he needed to update his professional skills first.
The Excellent Learning retraining programme, run by the Flemmish jobs service and supported by the ESF, was able to provide Daniel with the skills he needed to excel in his new position. After completing a course, he transferred into the company’s research and training centre in 2008 and hasn’t looked back since.
“There are always new innovations coming along,” Daniel explains. “The company has to innovate in order to expand, and that has always interested me. I like to do my work, and I have always trained to improve myself.”
Now Daniel’s days are filled with testing products, teaching contractors and researching new techniques and materials, while his nights are spent blissfully asleep. His work-life balance has also improved, leaving more time for him to spend with his family. “It changed my life completely,” he concludes. “After all, the night is made for sleeping!”
Want to find out more? Check out the links below:
About the project
Employment and mobility (ESF website)
Details
- Publication date
- 20 November 2017
- Author
- Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
- Involvements
- Adult learner/employee